Welcome to the Department of Animal Science

The underlying theme of the animal science curriculum at UConn is to provide our 400+ animal science majors with the flexibility to pursue areas of specific interest. Obviously, there are certain courses within the major that are required to qualify for your degree (e.g. nutrition, genetics, reproduction, etc.), but you may choose any one of six options (animal production, business management and marketing, pre-vet/pre-grad, equine science, food science and animal biotechnology). Remember that these are only guidelines and the final arrangement of courses is yours to decide. The animal science industry needs highly motivated, technically qualified graduates who will take advantage of the opportunities offered in the entire range of animal-related careers.

Important Topics...

2015 CONNECTICUT HORSE SYMPOSIUM

The Connecticut Horse Symposium is scheduled for March 7-8, 2015. This year's symposium will feature clinics on driving, dressage, showmanship, and trail. Horses will be available for use in the clinics but participants are invited to bring their own horses. In addition to the demonstrations, there will be a vendor fair and a UConn women's polo match, and the UConn Dressage team will give a demonstration. More information on this event can be found here.

2015 HORSE AUCTION

The annual spring horse auction and tack and equipment sale is scheduled for April 25, 2015. More information as well as a list of horses to be sold can be found here.

SPRING SEMINAR SERIES

The Department of Animal Science will be holding a weekly seminar for guest speakers to share their work and expertise. View the seminar schedule here for more information.

ANSC STUDENT NEWSLETTER

Each semester the Department of Animal Science publishes an electronic student newsletter in order to share the latest

department news and events; scholarship, job, and internship opportunities; students accomplishments; and reminders of important deadlines to keep our students informed. Find current and archived newsletters here.

FACEBOOK

Join us on Facebook for current news, job opportunities, photos, and more!

ANIMAL SCIENCE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

The Department of Animal Science offers undergraduates many opportunities to conduct research outside of the classroom in a variety of areas. Learn what students are currently researching here.

ANSC GRAD STUDENT FEATURED IN NATURALLY@UCONN

Indu
Upadhyaya, ANSC PhD student, was recently featured in a graduate student profile on the Naturally@UConn website. The article focuses on her work in Dr. Kumar
Venkitanarayanan's lab studying Salmonella
Enteritidis. The full article can be found here.

Dr. Darre received the Provost's Award for Excellence in Community Engaged Scholarship from Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Mun Y. Choi for his work with community outreach programs. Read the full article here.

September 2014

Dr. Kumar Venkitanarayanan has been conducting research on the number one poultry borne pathogen, Salmonella Enteritidis. Naturally@UConn recently featured an article on his research and the success he has had with it. Read the full article here.

Dr. Dennis D'Amico gave a presentation at the 2014 Annual Science of Artisan Cheese Conference in Somerset, UK. He spoke about "Managing Listeria monocytogenes in artisan and farmstead cheese production." He also spoke at the 2014 International Association for Food Protection annual meeting about
“Pathogen Control for Cheesemakers Utilizing Unpasteurized Milk."

July 2014

Dr. Steven Zinn gave an invited presentation at the 2014 Biology of Lactation in Farm Animals Workshop at the 2014 American Society of Animal Science/American Dairy Science Association joint annual meeting on Graduate Student Education. He also received the 2014 H. Allen Tucker Lactation and Endocrinology Award.

Dr. Sarah Reed gave an invited presentation at the 2014 American Society of Animal Science/American Dairy Science Association joint annual meeting on Satellite Cells in Horses.

Indu Upadhyaya, ANSC PhD student, won Best Graduate Student Research in the Poultry Products Safety Division at the 2014 Poultry Science Association meeting. Indu was also

appointed to the 2014-2015 PSA Board of Directors as Student Director. She also received the prestigious Maurine Stein Fellowship Award. This award is given to a graduate student whose training and research in applied poultry sciences may lead to improvements in efficiency and profitability of the egg industry.

Deepti Karumathil passed the Certified Food Scientist (CFS) exam administered by the international Food Science Certification Commission (IFSCC) f Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). She is the first individual from UConn to attain this credential.

Dr. Dennis D'Amico gave a presentation on "Aging Artisan Cheese on Wood" at the annual meeting of the National Association of Dairy Regulatory Officials in Kansas City. He also spoke at the American Cheese Society annual conference in Sacramento, CA about "FSMA Updates."

June 2014

Meera Nair, an Animal Science Ph.D student, won first place in the John Z. Ordal Food Microbiology Division Oral Presentation competition at the 2014 Institute of Food Technologists annual conference held in New Orleans this June. With over 16,000 people attending, this is a highly competitive program. Six finalists were selected to present their research out of the large pool of over 70 competitors who had submitted applications. Dr. Venkitanarayanan’s students have been winners in this competition for the past few years and Meera continues this trend.

Dr. Dennis D'Amico, ANSC Assistant Professor, recently held a workshop offering training in efficient and safe artisan cheese-making. He focused on the efficacy of the cheese-making process and ways to eliminate potential contaminants. The full article covering his workshop can be read here.

May 2014

Indu Upadhyaya, an Animal Science Ph.D. candidate, was just awarded the prestigious 2014 Maurice Stein Fellowship Award. She will accept this award after giving a brief thank you speech and presentation regarding her current research at the Poultry Science Association’s Annual Meeting in Corpus Christ, Texas from July 14-17, 2014. This award is given to a senior graduate student whose training and research in applied poultry sciences may lead to improvements in efficiency and profitability of the poultry industry; particularly research that has the potential to have a positive financial impact on the egg industry. This is a national award given to one person each year and is highly selective – there are 30 to 40 applicants annually.